Incubator 2018 Interview

(Written in 2019)

Maddie Woodbridge is an art student from Brisbane.  She currently has a Diploma in Visual Art and is studying a Bachelor of Visual Art with University of Canberra at the Southbank TAFE campus.  Maddie won the People’s Choice Award at the Incubator 2018 for the wide range of artworks she exhibited. Below is an interview with Maddie:

Hi Maddie, what have you been up to since last year’s Incubator? Have you had any exhibitions?

Hi. Since participating in Incubator last year I’ve mostly been focusing on my studies. At the end of last year, I completed my Diploma and have since continued this year as a second year Bachelor of Visual Art student. I have participated in two exhibitions since Incubator. Firstly, there was a group exhibition called CRE8 Festival done as part of my Diploma assessments. The CRE8 Festival was for all the art industries at TAFE to show the public their hard work. Secondly, and more recently, I put three works into the Sandgate Easter Art Show as part of the Bluewater Festival. I have been entering in this exhibition for several years now and this year sold my first artwork there. I was very fortunate that the State Member for Sandgate purchased my artwork which is now hanging in his chambers.

In last year’s show you exhibited works in a wide range of media.  What’s your favourite to work with currently?

Yes, last year at Incubator I exhibited five works using a rage of different media including printmaking, sculpture and drawing. While I work with a wide range of different media, I prefer to work with sculpture and installations for their large scale and corresponding large effects.

Does your current work follow a particular theme or have a particular style?

There is no consistent theme or concept present across my practice however some themes and concepts appear more frequently than others. Some of these more common themes include environment and identity. My practice is more about exploring, investigating and experimenting in different themes, topics and concepts with a range of different media. However, I also often respond to different and specific themes and concepts for assessment. I like to include elements and principles of design selectively and effectively into my work and tend to mostly use line, shape, pattern, colour and texture. My practice is about developing skills, creating experiences and extending art beyond its limits.

Are you working on anything at the moment and do you have any plans for future exhibitions?

I’m currently on mid-semester break so no assignments or projects at the moment, however I’m on break for about 10 weeks so I have plenty of time to create and I already have a number of ideas for what to do. I don’t have any exhibitions planned, however as part of my course I will be required to exhibit my work at some stage next year. I would love to exhibit again soon and potentially even do a solo exhibit as I have only ever been involved in group exhibitions previously.

Finally, how do you think taking part in the Incubator has helped with your art practice?

For me, being involved in the Incubator was an extremely beneficial experience. The process of installing, de-installing and helping curate the exhibit in a group setting proved useful when it came time to prepare for the exhibition I did for my Diploma, which as mentioned above was the CRE8 Festival. The skills learnt during the installation and deinstallation sessions were reiterated and therefore reinforced when doing this exhibition assessment for TAFE. Another important skill I learnt from this experience was how to work with people I hadn’t met before and how to cooperate and contribute to the group. Lastly, I found the workshop particularly insightful and valuable.